Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1887-02-14
NEW MoNEYED CHIEFrAINs.
THE MilliOnaircs of Gotham and
How They Made Their Money.

/ NEM AOfNhs ESD' - IL Va SAAS AASAN9
financial powers of New Y rkWas civil
Engineer in the service of an Ohio railroad
before the war. A broker pointed him
out the other day, indicating a tall, DOW
arfully built man about 80 years of age.
II was Gen. Samuel Thomas. 1t is said
4 that an invention comes when the age
Eneeds it, and similarly, il may be said,
Sthat the right men invariably come to
1.-The front in war or business when the
=tima is ripe. During the civil war
8Thcmas raised a regiment. OF which he
4naturally became Colonel, and he was
mustered out after the war as a Briga-
! diar General Of volunteers. He is a man
fof atfahle manners and 10 highly spoken
of in Wall street, not only because of his
financial acumen, but his gentlemanly
courtesy. There is nothing of the ric1
fboOr about him; nothing of the purse
oroud ignoramus, who thinks the clink
of gold is the music of the spheres. He
i is man of education. He ia not
mere hunter OF gold. After the war he
4 resumed his occupation of civil engineer,
&but finally drited to New York, became
*Iuterested in Southern railroads, and now
| he is one of the millionaires Of the city.
He is worth about 81, 900, 900. He Is & man
about six feet in height, weighs 100
hounds. of compact build and looks lie
I a man with good many years of erer-
[getic life before him. He lives in fine
sfyle near Central Park. He is not in the
&usual sense a club man, but ne belongs to
the Union League. He IS President of the
&Fast Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia
&railroad, and is largely Interested in the
Richmond and " est Point Terminal, the
Richmond and Danville, the Memphis and
&Cbarlsston, and other Southern roads
whose rails catch a golden CLEAN
Ifrom the rich trade of the phe-
Hnomenally growing South. He is one
- the pioneers in the railroad develop
ZSeut of a region which seems destined to
rule the iron markets of this country. 1t
seems safe to predict for The South, more
lover, more diversified agricultural
prominence, a great advance on the lone
[crop" industry of former times, The tale
Icf Aladdin is hardly more wonderful than
&fhe magical leap of the South, the Pros
i lero of these later days, from the dust of
liter defeat and ruin to 8 shining height
IN the world of trade. 1t has bad its
x'Tempest;" it now has its propitious
seas, not incarnadined with the blood red
hand OF war. but smiling on thousand
&prolects of trade undreamed of in the
&drowsv times OF slavery.
Calvin S. Brice is another New York
Emillonaire who owes his wealth to South
& ern enterprises. He, like Gen. Thomas,
Mas his Office In the AstOr building on
W all street, a commercial palace, In the
renaissance style, an architectural gem
Hand thoroughly fireprOOf. 1t is really
4 worthy In its way of the most luxurious
fdays OF the Medici or the Doges of Venice.
4 ldr. Brice, who is prominently ldentifie d
4 with commercial projects which would
{have made MEDIEVAL princes stare, is
below the medium height, with keen,
hIniGh 6rTa1v
set and prominent jaw, indicating great
decision Of character, and large head
+ set well down on broad shoulders; he
wears a sandy beard closely trimmed.
(which gives him certain Guinness of
aspect, recalling the stern religious
&Tetormer after whom his presumably
/plOus parents named him, He is cour-
IteOus in his bearing toward most people,,
&though with certain touch of that com.
meroial abruptness or brusqueness no.
/liceable in most persons who follow bust.
hess pursuits. He was born 10 Lima,
IOhiO, about forty-eight years ago, and
WAS educated as lawyer. He is resOlute,
buick and able. He came.tO New \ ork
and drifted into railroad affairs about ten
bears ago. Now he is worth 81, 900, 900.
His fortune may increase five or ten fold
before he retires. He is now the Vice
President of the East Tennessee railroad
pnd is director in numerous other rail-
ways of the South. He lives In fine style
pn Fifth avenue and is member of the
XUnioD League.
l used to see on the Cotton Exchange a
PAIL, soldierly looking man standing in
he shouting crowd Of brokers like cliff
&beaten upon by futile waves; the face
Xwas firm, not TO say grim, with look of
determination, which no turn of the
&narket could change. 1t was John ii.
nman. de came here shortly after the
NVar with less than 500. Now he is worth
$4,000, 600 or $8,000,000. In. ten years he
will probably be worth $10,000,000. He
Engaged in the cotton business after serv-
ng some years as CLERK, and laid the
Foundation of his fortune by very SIM
pie method, namely, what is known in the
Grade as "banking on cotton" That is to
fay, he brought cotton to New York and
bold it for future delivery at pre-
&Hum, which, making allowance for
srrying charges, insured him a profit,
t is said that he did this for TWO or three
Years without any one discovering his
nethod, at once SO shrewd and 80 simple.
PIE has fine Offices in the Cotton Exchange
pudding, but does not pay so much per-
onal attention to the details OF his cot
On business as formerly. He is looming
p as one of the railroad magnates and
ron barons OF the South. he is heavily
Interested In the Louisville and Nash
8ille, the Richmond and Danville, the
tichrond and West Point Terminal, the
ieofgla Pacific, the Macon and COving-
on and other Southern railroads. as we'll
fs The Tennessee Coal and Iron Com
any, the Birmingham iron manu-
seJorles and otner enterprises of
eat promise. He subscribed for the en-
ire loan OF per cent bonds issued by the
NY OF Atlanta, where, by the way, he
$50 has large real estate investments.
lie is stanch Democrat ana member,
understand, nf the Manhattan Club.
ie llVes In good style in this city on one
the fashionable thorOughfares, and also
wns mansion at Newport, which he
ought several years ago for 100000. Dur
us the civil war he was Quartermas-
ePs clerk in the Confederate army, and
employs his old Quartermaster as one
MS brokers' at tne Cotton Exchange.
ie is one of the shire WIDEST, as he is one of
ne most courageons.o of New York's fnan-
ial chieftains. He is commercial m an
destiny.
OSCAR WILLoUGHBY RIGGS.
PREPARING FOR A CHEST